Pins and Needles

Last night, as the Giants battled, then beat, the St. Louis Cardinals, I basted a quilt. It was too nerve-wracking to actually watch San Francisco play, so instead I hunkered (or more rightly hid) in the grotto, securing the sandwich with safety and straight pins. A little unconventional, but just how the Giants went about taking game four from the National League Central champs. It very well could be a World Series of wild cards, what with Kansas City sweeping Baltimore yesterday. Tonight, with our ace Madison Bumgarner on the mound, we SF fans will await if our place in baseball’s ultimate contest shall be cemented.

And meanwhile, I have a quilt to sew together.

I’m glad I have this project to occupy my time, or I would otherwise be fretting about baseball. I’m not sure why I used both straight and safety pins, other than the straight pins make the safety pins go further, and they are easier to put in, although stabbing occurs. I sported a bandage on my left index finger for much of the process, but no hobby is safe from injury, just ask Yadier Molina.

Finishing this quilt top a few days ago, amid the playoff races, was a huge thrill, for I had hoped the sashes would highlight the batiks. I was very pleased with the result, much like I’m ever so chuffed with how the Giants have been playing; nothing overtly flashy, unless one appreciates the smaller aspects of baseball. With few homers to their name, the Giants exemplify small ball, which the Royals used to defeat the mighty bats of Baltimore. This quilt is colourful, perhaps that is its secret weapon. Or maybe basting with straight and safety pins will prove useful when the actual quilting begins.

I’m not a superstitious seamstress, nor am I an irrational baseball fan. I will endeavor to watch as much of tonight’s contest as possible, for it *could* be San Francisco’s final home game of 2014. Nothing is a sure bet in sport; any given Sunday a football team can be beaten. And as SF showed in 2012, a team down 3-1 could achieve the nearly impossible, taking the final three games. That they did it against St. Louis looms large in all minds; retribution in the hearts of the Cardinals, hope for yet another trip to the World Series for the Giants. I’m glad my pastimes are of a simpler sort, just sit at the machine and sew. Sort of like sitting at the computer and writing, but with even less stress; I’ll employ a straight stitch, in the ditch, tacking these layers together.

Nothing fancy or imaginative, just getting it done. Like my Giants; I just want them to git ‘er done!

The sashes are Kona Ash, a very light gray. I didn’t want a shade that would distract from the batiks. The binding is slightly darker gray with a white vine-line pattern. Dresses up the sash, without overwhelming the main quilt.